Atlantic Xpat

Well, we are in Canada after all!

kt0157

The US is even worse than Canada. But it has such great self-belief that other people also believe it is less regulated.

I'm not convinced that the EU is more regulated than Canada. You don't have to hire quotas of people in the EU, for example. And some of the regulations that are in place directly help the people (what a stunningly novel idea!). The rules on moving between EU countries mean you don't have to wait five years for a residence permit.

Yes, some of the EU countries are a nightmare of regulations (Germany, for instance). But that's not down to the EU. You could argue that the federal structure of Germany naturally leads to a quagmire of regulations (rather like two large federated countries already mentioned..).

K.

Canada2006

I think that if you're sure of your reasons to emmigrate, and they're solid, then should still be happy to emmigrate.

To be honest, I'm worried that you're emmigrating to escape something rather that for what you'll find in the new place. I worry that you'll find in Canada what you're trying to escape from.

Are you worried about that too?

kt0157

Speaking as someone who has hired 50 people, I'd rather do it in the UK than in Canada (where I'd have to hire 45 normal people, 5 token people to match quotas, and then another 5 normal people to do the jobs of the 5 token people). But, I'd rather not hire 50 people in the UK either.

K.

dbd33

US vs. Canada at the national level is an impractical comparison because there are so many state/provinical laws, however I'd say that even the more regulated states, Utah for example, have less legislation than Ontario. For a start, alcohol is more freely available in Utah, Utah has no laws governing bicycle helmets or leaf blowers and hand guns are legally available in Utah. The use of telephones in cars is permissable in Utah whereas, in Ontario, it's technically not allowed but the authorities turn a blind eye; like polygamy in Utah.

kt0157

That sums me up. I've some friends in Montreal who have emigrated from Algeria. They came to Canada to escape Algeria. They aren't unhappy with Canada! Makes my whingeing about Canada seem like a flea bite compared to what they put up with.

K.

iaink

No, its not. SOME things are as expensive as the UK, most are not. Its just not as cheap as people think it is when they visit because the cost of running a house is more like the UK. Eating out, cost of petrol and cars, and property in some places is cheaper, and thats what you notice when you visit, which generates a bit of a false impression about living here, and thats where a lot of the whining comes from. Plus you dont have the nice exchange rate thing on your side when you live here. But it is still cheaper here, about 75% maybe now.

No, its just different fashion here, as it would be anywhere else in the world. You get used to it, its maybe less fashion obsessed than the UK, but to me UK clothes look strange now. Ive always prefered jeans and a Tshirt to dressing smart anyway, so I like that its less formal.

Absolutely not so in my experience

Some immigrants cant get decent jobs. But they are a small miniority. But the job market works different here, you just need to do your homework and play by the rules here, and be prepared to have to go back to get ahead.

I dont think there are more, and they are largely unenforced anyway. Canada does government business in 2 official languages. That suits me, I figure they can only get half as much done that way, so have less oportunity to interfere. I have never really suffered due to any of the "stupid" laws, and most of them are there for some long forgoten good reason anyway. It sure beats ASBO society.


Would I go back to 1999 and do it again. Sure, it only took a year then. Is it worth waiting 5 years now? Maybe, maybe not. Id certainly look at a few other options...other countries or the faster PNP route.

Canada2006

I'm sure that somewhere there are league tables of government regulation. It's different in each country. For example, shops in Belgium cannot open on Sundays - Bad. In Canada, they can. In BC the market in auto insurance is fixed - bad, in Belgium, it's not.

It's just so different and I think that you have to take the good with the bad.

BTW, I think that the US has its fair share of regulation too, and it's complicated by the difference between states! Take education and look at how regulated that is.

There is actually very little legislation that originates from the EU, most of it is from national governments.

What I've found in Belgium is that there are almost two countries in one:
1/ Public services - terribly slow, old buildings, unpolite unmotivated people, lots of paperwork, lots of corruption...

2/ Private sector - quite dynamic, international, outwardly focused, mostly unpolite people, less paperwork, quite honest.

I suppose it's similar elsewhere, including Canada, but the balance may be slightly different.

dbd33

There are an astonishing number of Algerians in Toronto. My kid's high school maths teacher was a recent immigrant from there and, unusually, spoke no English at all. He seemed happy enough but he must live in a vacuum, he'd have little chance of conversation outside work and home.

kt0157

Is Utah a more regulated state? I'm thinking that New York state is more regulated. Hand guns are legal (thanks to the Constitution) but replica hand guns are not. New York also has mandatory cycle helmet laws (for children*).

K.
*"Oh won't someone please think of the children!!"

dbd33

Damn. People usually think of Utah as being highly regulated because of the Mormon influence, making it a good example for my side of the argument. NYS, or worse, Massachusetts or California do have about as many laws as Ontario, yes. California in particular is a nightmare place for employment regulation.

kt0157

Why do they go to Toronto and not Montreal? Bizarre. All the Algerians I met in Montreal spoke excellent French (unlike most of the native Quebecans*).

K.
*You know when you hear the announcements during an Air Canada flight first in English then in French, and the French sounds like a Texan reading phonetically-spelled French off a laminated card? That, I discovered, is Quebecois French. :scared:

iaink

A nice theory except that both taxes and prices are lower here than in the UK.

kt0157

You couldn't have said that about Canada until this Wednesday! And it's virtually banned in PEI.

K.

iaink

The mistake is to talk about "Canada" at all. A lot of this stuff is Provincially driven, and as the provinces are about the size of a decent European nation, that makes more sense. Each province is like a country, and "Canada" is the political equivalent to the EU in many respects.